|
Here’s to Nights and Weekends of Reading, Not Packing!
The weather still has been a tad cold for swimming, but I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon sitting on the edge of the pool with my feet in the water reading THE LIDO by Libby Page. And as I was, I found myself smiling --- and just loving it. In it, 86-year-old Rosemary Peterson has been swimming at The Lido in her hometown of Brixton since 1937. She’s already watched so much of the town change, and not in a good way, like the day she realized the local library was closing forever. So when she learns that The Lido will be closing as a new condominium complex is coming into town, and that location will be their state-of-the-art, residents-only gym, she decides there has been enough change in the places she loves. Kate Matthews is a twentysomething and is new to the town; she’s a reporter who is a tad afraid of many things and suffers frequent panic attacks. When she goes to interview Rosemary about The Lido, she is told she must get in the pool and swim before she can hear her story. And she does.
What springs is a friendship across the ages with these two women, and watching their stories twist and intertwine is a complete delight. There is reminiscing and there is hope, and there is lots and lots of love. For those who have enjoyed THE ROSIE PROJECT and A MAN CALLED OVE, this one is for you. It’s out on July 10th, it’s one of our Summer Reading titles (which means there will be a contest to win it, though pre-ordering it from your favorite bookseller would be a lovely idea), and it’s going to be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. Be prepared to just smile and enjoy!
I want to read ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE by Gail Honeyman, which I missed doing when it came out in hardcover (it released in paperback this week). Everyone who has read it has had a wonderful reaction to it. I can see their love for it, as they take on a waxing poetic tone talking about it. I had lunch with my friend Shannon McKenna this week, and she was going on and on about it. I missed the meeting of our new local book club last month when they discussed it.
Very sad news this morning about the death by suicide of Anthony Bourdain. I loved watching episodes of the CNN series “Parts Unknown,” and his books about the restaurant world and cooking life gave us fresh --- and not oft-talked-about at the time --- insight into that world, beginning with KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL. I think of him as the man who would eat things that I never would and then tell me about them. I feel for Eric Ripert, who found him. I met Eric at a fabulous author lunch for his book, 32 YOLKS; it was held at Le Bernardin, where he is the executive chef. Bourdain loved to bring him along on trips to share the crazy foods he ate.
While she was not an author, Kate Spade was someone I knew from my Mademoiselle days, where she was in the fashion department while I was on the business side. We did not cross paths often, but when we did, she was smart, witty and such fun, and her death this week was a shock to so many. I learned a lot about her founding of her company with her husband, Andy, from the NPR podcast they did on “How I Built This with Guy Raz” in February 2017, which I listened to a few months ago. Guy’s podcasts are among my favorites. You can find his interview with Kate and Andy here.
Please note that a few years ago, I learned that the correct phrasing is “died by suicide,” not “committed suicide,” as the latter connotes a criminal act.
This is Audiobook Month, which I find interesting as every month has been audiobook month for me recently. Last year, digital audiobook sales were up 35%, and when authors look at their royalty statements, many have been pleasantly surprised to see what a big factor audio has become. Trust that you can read a lot more books if you are listening too!
Now to this week’s update…
Allison Pearson brings back Kate Reddy --- the beleaguered heroine of her 2002 debut novel, I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT --- in a long-awaited sequel. When HOW HARD CAN IT BE? begins, we find that Kate’s 50th birthday is looming. Her children have turned into impossible teenagers; her mother and in-laws are in precarious health; and her husband is having a midlife crisis that leaves her desperate to restart her career after years away from the workplace. Will Kate reclaim her rightful place at the very hedge fund she founded, or will she strangle in her new “shaping” underwear? Will she rekindle an old flame, or will her house burn to the ground when a rowdy mob shows up for her daughter’s surprise (to her parents) Christmas party? Surely it will all work out in the end. After all, how hard can it be?
According to reviewer Norah Piehl, “HOW HARD CAN IT BE? offers frank, funny, often cringe-worthy hilarious insights into what it means to be a capable, ambitious woman in mid-life…. [R]eaders will be pleased to meet Kate --- or to renew their acquaintance after a decade and a half away.” HOW HARD CAN IT BE? will be a Bets On pick. See why in next week’s newsletter!
We also are reviewing WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LULULEMONS, the third installment in Lauren Weisberger’s The Devil Wears Prada series. It stars Emily Charlton, Miranda Priestly’s first assistant who is now an image consultant in Hollywood but travels to Greenwich, Connecticut, to work with the dream client she so desperately needs. I am listening to this one, as well as reading it, and thus far it’s quick and smart. You can see an interview with Lauren talking about it here.
Other books we're reviewing this week include THERE THERE by debut novelist Tommy Orange, a multigenerational story about violence and recovery, memory and identity, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people; DREAMS OF FALLING, a new novel from New York Times bestselling author Karen White --- set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina --- about lifelong friends who share a devastating secret; and THE WORD IS MURDER, in which Anthony Horowitz has written a fictional version of himself as the Watson to a modern-day Holmes.
We are pleased to announce that THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS, Amy Meyerson’s first novel, is our latest Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight title. Miranda Brooks loved spending time in her eccentric uncle Billy’s bookstore and solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on her 12th birthday, Billy had a mysterious falling-out with her mother and was not heard from again. Sixteen years later, Miranda learns that Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is in danger of going bankrupt, and one final scavenger hunt. Miranda soon finds herself drawn into a journey where she meets people from Billy’s past whose stories reveal a history that Miranda’s mother has kept hidden --- and the terrible secret that tore her family apart.
We know our readers love books set in literary locations like bookstores, and so we are giving 30 readers the chance to read THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS, which releases on June 12th, and give us their feedback on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, June 21st at noon ET.
In this week’s Summer Reading contests, we gave away THE BURNING GIRL by Claire Messud, the aforementioned HOW HARD CAN IT BE? by Allison Pearson, THE PATCHWORK BRIDE by Sandra Dallas, and US AGAINST YOU by Fredrik Backman. Next week’s prizes will be A DARING VENTURE by Elizabeth Camden, MR. FLOOD'S LAST RESORT by Jess Kidd, and A PLACE FOR US by Fatima Farheen Mirza. The first contest of the week will be posted on Monday, June 11th at noon ET.
If you haven’t entered our Father’s Day contest yet, may we suggest that you do so now? Dad’s day is creeping up, and you want to enter to win books for him...or, okay, you! We have nine wonderful titles that we think dads will find very appealing and will keep them busy for at least the next few months. The deadline for your submissions is Monday, June 18th at noon ET.
This month’s New in Paperback roundups are now up and running. We have paperback reprints from such bestselling authors as John Grisham (THE ROOSTER BAR), Nelson DeMille (THE CUBAN AFFAIR), William Kent Krueger (SULFUR SPRINGS) and Sophie Kinsella (SURPRISE ME); nonfiction titles, including HUNGER: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay and I NEED A LIFEGUARD EVERYWHERE BUT THE POOL by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella; and paperback originals like THE EVER AFTER by Sarah Pekkanen and THE GOOD SON by You-Jeong Jeong (both of which we review this week), and BUM DEAL by Paul Levine, which we plan to review next week.
Also updated for June is our Books on Screen feature. Feature films include Eating Animals, The Yellow Birds and Leave No Trace. On the small screen will be the fifth and last episode of Showtime's "Patrick Melrose” (tomorrow, Saturday the 9th), which I previewed and is a well-done conclusion, and the season one finale of "Sweetbitter" on Starz (this Sunday the 10th), which I am watching with great interest. And among this month’s DVD releases are A Wrinkle in Time, Every Day and Death Wish.
Our new poll asks which of 20 fiction titles releasing this month you are planning to read. Click here to cast your votes!
In our previous poll, we wanted to know how many books you usually take with you on a weekend trip. 39% of you take along two books, while 26% pack three books and 19% bring just one book. Click here for all the results. My answer would have been five --- just in case I did not like one or wanted something else to dive into. In reality, I probably would finish two.
We have a new Word of Mouth contest to tell you about. Let us know by Friday, June 22nd at noon ET what books you’ve finished reading, and you’ll have the opportunity to win THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand and THE PHARAOH KEY by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
This month’s Sounding Off on Audio prize books are the audio versions of Barbara Delinsky's BEFORE AND AGAIN, read by Mary Stuart Masterson, and B.A. Paris' BRING ME BACK, read by Kevin Hely and Cathleen McCarron. Submit your comments about the audiobooks you’ve listened to, and you’ll be in the running to win both these audio titles.
It was announced this week that THE SUN DOES SHINE: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton is Oprah’s latest Book Club Pick. According to Oprah, "This story reads like an epic novel and it is all true. You will, throughout the book, try to imagine yourself --- falsely accused, and in a 5-by-7 cell for 30 years. He is a remarkable storyteller and when you read it you'll be swept away."
News & Pop Culture
Reader Mail:
Sherrie wrote, “I just love Ruth Ware and was so pleased when I found her last year. Now I anxiously await her next book. I love the interview with her, and I am so loving THE DEATH OF MRS. WESTAWAY. Thanks for always keeping us up to date on books and interviews.“ I have been listening to this on audio and highly recommend it.
Cindy had attended our Book Group Speed Dating event at BookExpo and shared this note: “I just wanted to say thank you SO much for organizing such a fabulous event. It was my first time at BookExpo, and I loved every second of it, but your event was my very favorite. Thanks again, and I hope you are getting to rest and recover.”
For those who weren't able to join us in New York for Speed Dating, we are sharing the PDFs of our PowerPoint presentation of upcoming Fall/Winter titles here. We have broken it out into six sections, so you can easily see what was selected and presented. We also compiled a spreadsheet on this page that has all the titles in one handy document.
Sue wrote that she has been missing the newsletter since March. She is a subscriber via Cox.net, and our newsletter provider has had many issues with this ISP blocking newsletters. She said, “I had to go to my Cox webmail, and the tech person walked me through how to unblock you. That is done so we shall see. I also sent a request to unblockrequest@cox.net by forwarding the last Bookreporter newsletter received to that address. She said if enough of your readers who have this problem do so, they will make sure the newsletter is not blocked again. Hopefully this will solve the problem. I will let you know if it worked on my end, and she said you should pass this on to others who have contacted you.” I am going to send an email to cox.net subscribers who may be getting their newsletter only intermittently with this intel. I really appreciate Sue contacting us and working through with Cox on this!
The Art of Racing in the Rain: Here’s a look at the shooting for the movie.
World Wide Knit in Public Day: It's tomorrow! Whip out your needles in a public place and get them clicking. One of our readers, Betsy, wrote this week to be sure this was on my radar (it was on my calendar, but I loved her noting it to me); she had seen a mention of it at her local library.
The finale of “The Americans”: Still pondering it. At first, I was disappointed, but am feeling better about parts of it as I reflect on it. That said, it was not my favorite series ending.
“Billions”: The season finale is Sunday night on Showtime. I love this show; it surprises, which I love. I do loathe the crassness of Bobby Axelrod and his crew on the Street, though they are very audacious.
Fahrenheit 451 on HBO: Who has watched it? It’s on my watch list.
“Succession” on HBO: Really tight first episode; I want to see how this develops.
“Sharp Objects”: This eight-part limited series, based on the book by Gillian Flynn and starring Amy Adams, begins airing July 8th on HBO. You can see a trailer for it here. “Follow the story of reporter Camille Preaker (Adams) who returns to her small hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. Trying to put together a psychological puzzle from her past, she finds herself identifying with the young victims a bit too closely.”
Last weekend was a lot about relaxing and catching up on sleep after BookExpo. I planted a lot more flowers; I typically plant only one flower in a planter, but this year I am trying my hand at arranging more than one plant together, and I am loving it. You can see one of the planters above. The rhubarb is growing in two pots; I love that it just wintered over and is sprouting wildly. While morning glories are supposedly annuals, we have four huge pots of them coming back and already creeping up the towers that they grow along.
The peonies really peaked when I was at BookExpo, and there are lots of sad little petals gathered on the ground. I see a few blooms I still can cut; they are one of my favorite flowers.
For upcoming events, I am going to be doing an event about great Summer Reading titles at the Rockville Centre Public Library on Wednesday, June 20th at 7pm. This will be my third summer event at this library, and I am looking forward to it. Then I will be at the Avalon Free Public Library in New Jersey on Wednesday, August 1st and at Levittown Public Library on Wednesday, August 15th. I love meeting readers and hearing about what you are reading. I will be prepping my presentations; I am working on getting the right mix of titles together for each event.
Greg has a lighthouse event in Connecticut on Sunday; Cory will be in and out all weekend, and I am betting that Tom will be playing golf. He won the tournament he played in last weekend; I think wearing a turquoise polo shirt helped. As for me, after the craziness of last summer with our big office move, I am relishing that there is no huge event like that on the horizon. There will be lots of time for reading, eventually floating and happily planning some perfect summer meals to eat outdoors. And no packing of boxes!
And this weekend is the Belmont. Go Justify...we would love to see a Triple Crown winner!
Read on, and have a great week.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
Featured Review: HOW HARD CAN IT BE?
by Allison Pearson
A Bookreporter.com Bets On Title
HOW HARD CAN IT BE? by Allison Pearson (Fiction/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Poppy Miller
In this highly anticipated sequel to I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT, Kate Reddy goes back to work. Companies aren’t necessarily keen on hiring 49-year-old mothers, so Kate knocks a few years off her age, hires a trainer, joins a Women Returners group, and prepares a new resume. When Kate manages to secure a job at the very hedge fund she founded, she must prove herself (again) at work while dealing with teen drama and trying to look after increasingly frail parents as she approaches her 50th birthday. Then, of course, an old flame shows up out of the blue, and Kate finds herself facing off with everyone from Russian mobsters to a literal stallion. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
HOW HARD CAN IT BE? will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Don't miss Carol's commentary in next week's newsletter.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LULULEMONS by Lauren Weisberger
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LULULEMONS by Lauren Weisberger (Fiction/Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Laura Benanti
Welcome to Greenwich, Connecticut, where everyone has something to say about the infamous new neighbor. After leaving Miranda Priestly, Emily Charlton has been working in Hollywood as an image consultant to the stars, but recently, Emily has lost a few clients. She’s hopeless with social media. The new guard is nipping at her heels. She needs a big opportunity, and she needs it now. When Karolina Hartwell, a gorgeous former supermodel, is arrested for a DUI, her fall from grace is merciless. Her senator-husband leaves her, her Beltway friends disappear, and the tabloids pounce. In Karolina, Emily finds her comeback opportunity. But she quickly learns that Greenwich is a world apart and this comeback needs a team approach. Reviewed by Sonia Chopra.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read the review.
New Women’s Fiction Author Spotlight & Contest:
THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS by Amy Meyerson
A woman inherits a beloved bookstore and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS, Amy Meyerson's poignant debut novel about family, forgiveness and a love of reading. We have 30 copies to give away to readers who would like to read the book and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, June 21st at noon ET.
THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS by Amy Meyerson (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Ann Marie Gideon
Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric Uncle Billy’s bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda’s 12th birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda’s life. She doesn’t hear from him again until 16 years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy --- and one final scavenger hunt.
When Miranda returns home to Los Angeles and to Prospero Books --- now as its owner --- she finds clues that Billy has hidden for her inside novels on the store’s shelves, in locked drawers of his apartment upstairs, in the name of the store itself. Miranda becomes determined to save Prospero Books and to solve Billy’s last scavenger hunt. She soon finds herself drawn into a journey where she meets people from Billy’s past, people whose stories reveal a history that Miranda’s mother has kept hidden --- and the terrible secret that tore her family apart.
Bighearted and trenchantly observant, THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS is a lyrical story of family, love and the healing power of community. It’s a love letter to reading and bookstores, and a testament to how our histories shape who we become.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read Amy Meyerson’s bio.
- Click here to visit Amy Meyerson’s website.
- Click here to connect with Amy Meyerson on Facebook.
Click here to read more in our Women's Fiction Author Spotlight
and enter the contest.
Featured Review: THERE THERE by Tommy Orange
THERE THERE by Tommy Orange (Fiction)
Audiobook available; read by Darrell Dennis, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Alma Ceurvo and Kyla Garcia
THERE THERE tells the story of 12 characters, each of whom has private reasons for traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life back together after his uncle’s death and has come to work at the powwow to honor his uncle’s memory. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil, who has taught himself traditional Indian dance through YouTube videos and has come to the powwow to dance in public for the very first time. There will be glorious communion, and a spectacle of sacred tradition and pageantry. And there will be sacrifice, and heroism, and unspeakable loss. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read the review.
Featured Review: DREAMS OF FALLING by Karen White
DREAMS OF FALLING by Karen White (Mystery)
Audiobook available; read by Shannon McManus, Cassandra Campbell and Susan Larkin
Nine years ago, a humiliated Larkin Lanier fled Georgetown, South Carolina, knowing she could never go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she realizes she has no choice but to return to the place she both loves and dreads --- and to the family and friends who never stopped wishing for her to come home. Ivy, Larkin's mother, is discovered badly injured and unconscious in the burned-out wreckage of her ancestral plantation home. No one knows why Ivy was there, but as Larkin digs for answers, she uncovers secrets kept for nearly 50 years --- whispers of love, sacrifice and betrayal --- that lead back to three girls on the brink of womanhood who found their friendship tested in the most heartbreaking ways. Reviewed by Jana Siciliano.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to visit Karen White's website.
Click here to read the review.
Bookreporter.com's 13th Annual
Father's Day Contest: Best Books for Dad
Father’s Day is a time to celebrate the men in our lives who have raised and loved us. Why not show him your appreciation by inspiring him with a great book? In our 13th annual "Best Books for Dad" contest, we have a selection of books that are perfect gift-giving suggestions for Dad, keeping him busy through the rest of the year. Five readers will be awarded a copy of each of our featured titles. To enter, please fill out this form by Monday, June 18th at noon ET.
This year's featured titles are:
Click here to enter the contest.
Bookreporter.com's Summer Reading
Contests and Feature
Summer will be here before you know it! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days through August 24th. You will need to check the site to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce each title, which you can sign up for here.
Our next prize book will be announced on Monday, June 11th at noon ET.
This year’s prize books include:
Click here to read all the contest details
and see the prize books being awarded in May, June, July and August.
June’s New in Paperback Roundups
June's roundup of New in Paperback fiction titles includes THE ROOSTER BAR, John Grisham’s newest legal thriller that takes readers inside a law firm that’s on shaky ground; MANHATTAN BEACH, Jennifer Egan's first historical novel, which tells the haunting story of Anna Kerrigan, who becomes the Brooklyn Naval Yard's first female diver during World War II, and her search for her missing father; THE CUBAN AFFAIR, which marks the debut of Nelson DeMille's newest character --- U.S. Army combat veteran Daniel “Mac” MacCormick, a charter boat captain setting sail on his most dangerous cruise yet; and SURPRISE ME, Sophie Kinsella's latest novel that delves into the heart of a marriage, and how those we love and think we know best can sometimes surprise us the most.
Among our nonfiction highlights are HUNGER, Roxane Gay's searingly honest memoir of food, weight, self-image, and learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself; Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella's I NEED A LIFEGUARD EVERYWHERE BUT THE POOL, the mother-daughter team's eighth collection of stories from their real lives, guaranteed to make you laugh out loud; and RETURN TO GLORY, in which journalist Matthew DeBord, who has been covering the auto industry for years, tells the story of Ford’s revival as a company as exemplified by the new GT.
Find out what's New in Paperback for the weeks of
June 4th, June 11th, June 18th and June 25th.
June’s Books on Screen Feature
THE WORD IS MURDER by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Rory Kinnear
Diana Cowper, the wealthy mother of a famous actor, enters a funeral parlor to plan her own service. Six hours later she is found dead, strangled with a curtain cord in her own home. Enter disgraced police detective Daniel Hawthorne, a brilliant, eccentric investigator. Hawthorne needs a ghost writer to document his life and chooses Anthony Horowitz. Drawn in against his will, Horowitz soon finds himself at the center of a story he cannot control. Hawthorne is brusque, temperamental and annoying, but his latest case --- with its many twists and turns --- proves irresistible. The writer and the detective form an unusual partnership. At the same time, it soon becomes clear that Hawthorne is hiding some dark secrets of his own. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE EVER AFTER by Sarah Pekkanen (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Joy Osmanski
Josie and Frank Moore are happy…at least Josie thinks they are. Frank is a phenomenal father and still looks at his wife like she’s the beautiful woman he married more than a decade ago. Josie isn’t just happy, she’s lucky. Until one Saturday morning when Josie borrows her husband’s phone to make a quick call --- and sees nine words that shatter her world. Now Josie feels as if she is standing at the edge of a sharp precipice. As she looks back at pivotal moments in the relationship she believed would last forever, she is also plunging ahead, surprising everyone (especially herself) with how far she will go to uncover the extent of her husband’s devastating secret. Reviewed by Leah DeCesare (www.leahdecesare.com).
THE SECRET TOKEN: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke by Andrew Lawler (History)
Audiobook available, read by David H. Lawrence XVII
In 1587, 115 men, women and children arrived at Roanoke Island on the coast of North Carolina to establish the first English settlement in the New World. But when the new colony's leader returned to Roanoke from a resupply mission, his settlers had vanished, leaving behind only a single clue --- a "secret token" etched into a tree. What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke? That question has consumed historians, archaeologists and amateur sleuths for 400 years. In THE SECRET TOKEN, Andrew Lawler sets out on a quest to determine the fate of the settlers, finding fresh leads as he encounters a host of characters obsessed with resolving the enigma. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
THE SHADOW KILLER by Arnaldur Indridason (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, narrated by George Guidall
A man is found murdered in a small apartment in Reykjavík, shot in the head with a pistol. The police’s attention is immediately drawn to the foreign soldiers who are on every street corner in the summer of 1941. So begins officers Flóvent and Thorson’s investigation, which will lead them down a path darker than either of them expected, and force them to reckon with their own demons. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE GOOD SON by You-Jeong Jeong (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Johnathan McClain and Elizabeth Liang
Early one morning, 26-year-old Yu-jin wakes up to a strange metallic smell, and a phone call from his brother asking if everything's all right at home --- he missed a call from their mother in the middle of the night. Yu-jin soon discovers her murdered body, lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs of their stylish Seoul duplex. He can't remember much about the night before; having suffered from seizures for most of his life, Yu-jin often has trouble with his memory. All he has is a faint impression of his mother calling his name. But was she calling for help? Or begging for her life? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE SHIMMER by Carsten Stroud (Supernatural Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Joe Hempel
A police pursuit kicks Sergeant Jack Redding and his trainee, Julie Karras, into a shoot-out that ends with one girl dead and another in cuffs, and the driver of the SUV. Redding stays on the hunt, driven by the trace memory that he knows that running woman --- and he does, because his grandfather, a cop in Jacksonville, was hunting the same woman in 1957. Redding and his partner, Pandora Jansson, chase a seductive serial killer who can ride The Shimmer across decades. The stakes turn brutal when Jack, whose wife and child died in a crash the previous Christmas Eve, faces a terrible choice: help his grandfather catch the killer, or change time itself and try to save his wife and child. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
BROKEN GROUND: A Jay Porter Novel by Joe Clifford (Mystery/Thriller)
At an AA meeting, handyman and part-time investigator Jay Porter meets a recovering addict who needs his help. Amy Lupus’ younger sister, Emily, has gone missing from the Coos County Center, the newly opened rehab run by Jay’s old nemeses, Adam and Michael Lombardi. When Jay learns of a “missing” hard drive, he is flung back to five years ago when his own junkie brother, Chris, found a hard drive belonging to Lombardi Construction. For years, Jay assumed that the much-sought-after hard drive contained incriminating photos of Adam and Michael’s father, which contributed to Chris’ death. But now he believes that hard drive may have harbored a secret far more sinister, which the missing Lupus sister may have unwittingly discovered. Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy.
THE TRUTH ABOUT PARALLEL LINES by Jill D. Block (Fiction)
It is 1981 in New York City. While celebrating her 18th birthday, Jenna Kessler tells a story that stays with her for the rest of her life. Growing up in the shadow of an over-protective mother, Chloe Toberman finds freedom in the secrets that she keeps. Deirdre Schein is a doctor, struggling to find her place in her family. Her quiet and stable life is both challenged and made richer by the demands of her flamboyant and unpredictable twin brother. THE TRUTH ABOUT PARALLEL LINES takes place over more than 30 years. It is the story of three women, love after loss, triumph over tragedy, and the friendships that sustain them. Reviewed by Tom Callahan.
Next Week’s Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on June 12th
Below are some notable titles releasing on June 12th that we would like to make you aware of. We will have more on many of these books in the weeks to come. For a list of additional hardcovers and paperbacks releasing the week of June 11th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
BUM DEAL by Paul Levine (Legal Thriller)
Second-string linebacker turned disillusioned defense attorney Jake Lassiter finally switches teams. Appointed special prosecutor in a high-profile murder case, Lassiter vows to take down a prominent surgeon accused of killing his wife. But there is no evidence, no witness and no body. And standing in Lassiter’s way are the defense lawyers: slick-talking Steve Solomon and blueblood Victoria Lord, who have their own complicated history with the defendant.
ISLAND OF THE MAD: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes by Laurie R. King (Historical Mystery)
Lady Vivian Beaconsfield has disappeared following a supervised outing from Bethlem Royal Hospital. Having spent most of her adult life in and out of one asylum after another, she at last seemed to be adjusting to her confinement at Bethlem. So why did she disappear? And why is there no trace of the nurse who accompanied her? In their search for the missing women, Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes follow the trail from the cold, harsh wards of the hospital through to the ethereal beauty of Venice.
LIFE IN THE GARDEN by Penelope Lively (Memoir)
Penelope Lively takes up her key themes of time and memory, and her lifelong passions for art, literature and gardening in this philosophical and poetic memoir. From the courtyards of her childhood home in Cairo to a family cottage in Somerset, to her own gardens in Oxford and London, Lively conducts an expert tour, taking us from Eden to Sissinghurst and into her own backyard, traversing the lives of writers like Virginia Woolf and Philip Larkin while imparting her own sly and spare wisdom.
LYING IN WAIT by Liz Nugent (Psychological Thriller)
On the surface, Lydia Fitzsimons has the perfect life --- wife of a respected, successful judge, mother to a beloved son, mistress of a beautiful house in Dublin. That beautiful house, however, holds a secret. And when Lydia’s son, Laurence, discovers its secret, wheels are set in motion that lead to an increasingly claustrophobic and devastatingly dark climax.
THE MOSCOW DECEPTION by Karen Robards (Thriller)
Still navigating the fallout from a shocking revelation that’s left a network of assassins’ crosshairs trained on her, Bianca St. Ives is ready to take fate into her own hands. But as Bianca races to outmaneuver her tireless pursuers, her father loops her in on a job that just might do the trick: recover King Priam’s Treasure, a collection of heavily guarded, priceless artifacts stolen by the Russians during World War II, and return it to Germany.
THE PHARAOH KEY by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Thriller)
Gideon Crew is shocked when his former employer, Eli Glinn, vanishes without a trace, and Glinn's high-tech lab Effective Engineering Solutions shuts down seemingly overnight. Fresh off a diagnosis that gives him only months to live, Crew is contacted by one of his former coworkers at EES, Manuel Garza, who has a bead on one final treasure hinted at in EES's final case, the long-awaited translation of a centuries-old stone tablet of a previously undiscovered civilization.
THE VERDUN AFFAIR by Nick Dybek (Historical Fiction)
In 1921, two young Americans meet in Verdun, the city in France where one of the most devastating battles of World War I was waged. Quickly, they fall into a complicated affair against the ghostly backdrop of the ruined city. Months later, Tom and Sarah meet again at the psychiatric ward of an Italian hospital, drawn there by the appearance of a mysterious patient the doctors call Douglas Fairbanks (after the silent film actor) --- a shell-shocked soldier with no memory of who he is.
THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS by John Connolly (Mystery/Thriller)
In the beautiful Maine woods, a partly preserved body is discovered. Investigators realize that the dead young woman gave birth shortly before her death. But there is no sign of a baby. Private detective Charlie Parker is hired by a lawyer to shadow the police investigation and find the infant, but Parker is not the only searcher. Someone else is following the trail left by the woman, someone with an interest in much more than a missing child…someone prepared to leave bodies in his wake.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
Our Latest Poll: June Releases to Anticipate
Which of the following fiction titles releasing in June are you planning to read? Please check all that apply.
-
ALL WE EVER WANTED by Emily Giffin
-
BEFORE AND AGAIN by Barbara Delinsky
-
BRING ME BACK by B. A. Paris
-
DREAMS OF FALLING by Karen White
-
FLORIDA by Lauren Groff
-
HOW HARD CAN IT BE? by Allison Pearson
-
KUDOS by Rachel Cusk
-
THE MOSCOW DECEPTION by Karen Robards
-
THE PATCHWORK BRIDE by Sandra Dallas
-
THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand
-
THE PHARAOH KEY by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
-
THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
-
THE SECRETS BETWEEN US by Thrity Umrigar
-
A STEEP PRICE by Robert Dugoni
-
THERE THERE by Tommy Orange
-
TURBULENCE: A Stone Barrington Novel, by Stuart Woods
-
US AGAINST YOU by Fredrik Backman
-
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LULULEMONS by Lauren Weisberger
-
THE WOMAN IN THE WOODS by John Connolly
-
THE WORD IS MURDER by Anthony Horowitz
-
None of these
Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, June 22nd at noon ET.
Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from June 8th to June 22nd at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of THE PERFECT COUPLE by Elin Hilderbrand and THE PHARAOH KEY by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
Sounding Off on Audio Contest: Tell Us What
You're Listening to --- and You Can Win Two Audiobooks!
Tell us about the audiobooks you’ve finished listening to with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for both the performance and the content. During the contest period from June 4th to July 2nd at noon ET, two lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win the audio versions of Barbara Delinsky's BEFORE AND AGAIN, read by Mary Stuart Masterson, and B.A. Paris' BRING ME BACK, read by Kevin Hely and Cathleen McCarron.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the audiobook, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For complete rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
|
